I underpaid my 2018 Maryland tax. The program inserted $2016 of estimated tax paid, when I paid none. I could find no place I inserted ET $2016 paid. Why did this happen?

[Carl]

The program does not and can not "insert" taxes paid. Only the user of the program can do that. So where *EXACTLY* do you see this estimated tax paid? I know it's somewhere in the "Estimates & Other Taxes Paid" section under the Deductions & Credits tab. But you have to tell us *exactly* where it's at.

The only taxes that appear in the numerous categories under the Estimates & Other Taxes Paid, are those that you entered. This includes taxes reported as withheld on any and all tax reporting documents you received and entered in the program. For example, the taxes reported in box 2 of your W-2 are included under Estimates & Other Taxes Paid. To see the breakdown you have to look at the actual tax worksheets (just switch to forms mode if using the desktop version of the program.) and at the top of page 1 is the four quarterly payments (if any) that were made. Directly below that it lists taxes withheld from W-2's, 1099-MISC's, 1099-R's and a few other tax reporting documents you may have received, if withheld taxes were reported on those documents.

Now it's also possible that when you completed and filed your tax return, that you owed - yet did not pay in a timely manner after you filed.  What precisely does the notice or letter from the state say? Did they change something on your tax return maybe? Or are they just asking for payment, and that's it?

[VolvoGirl]

Did you file or start an extension?  Maybe it showed you made a payment with extension you were suppose to send in back in April.  So you needed to change it to zero.

[danamd]

Thanks. Turns out, after some more digging, that it was part of what I owed for the year but was categorized as an "extension" payment (since I filed an extension - first time ever, actually.) The amount I paid was what was calculated to be paid as the usual annual tax payment, and the $2016 was to be paid with a different stub as the "extension payment." Having never been in this position before, I didn't notice that part.

So now I have to pay it plus interest and penalty.

Lesson learned.

[danamd]

I never entered it as an ET, and I paid none for the year. The program calculated it as a part of what I owed for the year and categorized it as "extension payment." It was listed on the line which included ETs, refunds from the previous year, etc. Having never before filed an extension I wasn't aware of this, or I would just have paid the entire amount in April. Now, having learned my lesson, I have interest and penalties.

I won't make that mistake again.